Electrical contact elements for resistance cooking



United States Patent inventors Raymond II. Sierk Whitestone, New York;Raymond W. Sierk, Smoke Rise, New Jersey Appl. N 0. 770,996 Filed Oct.28, 1968 Patented Nov. 3, 1970 Assignee Automatic Swank Frank Corp.

New York, New York a corporation of New York ELECTRICAL CONTACT ELEMENTSFOR RESISTANCE COOKING 9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl. 99/358, 99/171 Int. Cl. 1105b 3/00 Field of Search 99/358,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES'PATENTS 305,024 9/1884 119/1351,704,999 3/1929 119/135X 2,152,315 3/1939 99/358 2,474,390 6/194999/358X 2,939,793 6/1960 Richman 99/358UX Primary Examiner-Walter AScheel Assistant ExaminerArthur Henderson Attorney Mason, Fenwick andLawrence ABSTRACT: Improvement in electrical contact elements forresistance cooking of frankfurters in special sandwich packages whereinone element is in the form of a spread band having a central prong forpenetration of the end of a frankfurter projecting from the specialpackage and having bendable wings for compressive encirclement of thefrankfurter end. One, or both, wings are provided with raised contactpads, out of contact with the frankfurter when the band is in place, forengagement by a resilient contact arm of a second contact member.

Patentd Nov. 3, 1970 Q 3,537,387

Sheet 1 of 2 INVENTOR8 RAYMOND .SXEIZK RAYMOND -SIEE-K 1m QALQQATTORNEYS I Patented Nqv. 3, 1970 Sheet 2 012 w m m am E K mm: Mm G M559m .HW Q l 0O MM vv AA REM ma m ELECTRICAL CONTACT ELEMENTS FORRESISTANCE COOKING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates toautomatic frankfurter sandwich vending machines of the type disclosed inour prior U.S. Pat. No. 2,794,384, dated June 4, i957, and particularlyto improvements in means for applying electrical current to frankfurtersin such machines for cooking them.

Patent No. 2,794,384 discloses a machine which automatically dispensesspecial food packages of the type disclosed in our prior U.S. Pat. No.2,959,339, issued Nov. 8, i960. The special package consists of afranki'urter in a split frankfurter bun, wrapped in a napkin and housedin a special carton having openings in the ends through which the endsof the frankfurter project for contact by electrical means to cook thefrankfurter by resistance cooking. The carton has end sections open atthe sides, to permit entry of knives to cut off the end portions ofcooked frankfurter, so that any electrically discolored end portions maybe removed and no portion of the frankfurter will project beyond thecarton ends when dispensed.

The vending machine has provision for storing quantities of packagesunder refrigeration until needed, at which time, the protruding ends ofthe frankfurter of one package are engaged by contact arms to causeresistance cooking of the frankfurter. After the frankfurter is cooked,the contact arms draw-back, the ends of the frankfurter are cut off, andthe package is ejected from the machine.

The contact arms of the machine disclosed in the prior patent werearranged in pairs at each end. Each pair consisted of one arm having arecess to engage about one side of a frankfurter and, a second armhaving a similar recess toengage the opposite side, with a small bladecarried in the recess of one of the arms to penetrate the meat. Thus,the frankfurter ends were held on opposite sides and, at the same time,penetrated. Frankfurters enlarge circumferentially and lengthwise whenheated. This frequently caused the meat to leave the penetrating blade,because the meat was not confined. Thus, spaces were formed whichallowed the meat to break contact with the blade and permitted juices toexude from the frankfurter. Electric arcing and smoking resulted.Thisbrought about discoloration, collection of grease on the interior ofthe machine and, at times, a poorly cooked product. The arcing andgrease collection greatly increased fire hazard.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is toprovide improved electrical contact between the contact arms and themeat of a frankfurter being dispensed in a vending machine, to alleviatethe above-mentioned problems.

A more specific object is to provide disposable contact bands forencircling, and embedment in, theprojecting ends of frankfurters inspecial packages to form fixed contacts for the frankfurter ends.

Another object is the provision of such bands having means to penetratethe meat while the remainder of the band holds the meat againstexpansive movement away from the penetrating means.

A further object is to provide a band of this nature having a portionspaced from the surface of the frankfurter when the band is in bandingposition, to provide an electrical contacting area out of contact withthe meat surface and free from exposure to escaping juices.

Still another object of the invention is to provide movable, resilientarms for contactwith the bands at thefrankfurter ends to complete anelectric circuit through the frankfurter to cook it.

Yet still a further object is to provide such contact arms having wipingcontact with the bands to assure clean surface contact between themembers and eliminate the possibility of arcing.

It is also an object of the invention to provide bands for thefrankfurter ends having more than one raised contact area, to avoid thenecessity of precise placement of the packages in the machine magazinein order to assure proper orientation.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingdescription of preferred and practical embodiments thereof, when takenin conjucntion with the drawings which accompany, and form part of thisspecification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partial vertical sectionthrough a frankfurter sandwich vending machine, illustrating improvedmeans for obtaining electrical contact with a frankfurter in a specialpackage to cook the frank'furter prior to vending;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the end of the frankfurter in its packageand the contacting elements;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2, illustrating thecontact arms in engagement with bands on the ends of a frankfurter inthe special package;

FIG. 4 is a cross section through one end of a frankfurter, showing theband in full lines in engaging position therewith, and in dotted linesin its original position for bending about the frankfurter;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the contact blade used in the contactarm for engagement with the frankfurter band; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4, illustrating a modified form ofband.

DESCRIPTION OF THE. PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As mentioned above, thevending machine with which the present invention is to be used is thatdisclosed in prior U.S. Ifat. No. 2,794,384, and that patent may bereferred to for a full disclosure of the vending machine. The specialpackage used with the vending machine is also disclosed in that patentand again in Pat. No. 2,959,339. Both patents are incorporated byreference into the present application and form' parts thereof.

A portion of the vending machine, including the improved contact means,is shown in FIG. I. The vendingmachine l includes a base section 2, and,a superimposed refrigerated storage area 3. The refrigerating mechanismand the vending machine operating mechanism are housed in the basesection. The storage area includes one or more package magazines 4. Themagazine includes corner posts 5, which are so positioned so as todefine a rectangular rack in which horizontally positioned specialpackages 6 are free to slide vertically and be stored in stacks.Brackets 7 form bottom lips to engage the lowermost package and hold itin the magazine. The brackets are attached to levers 8 which arepivotally mounted and upwardly movable upon upward movement of anactuating rod 9 carrying operating fingers 10. The fingers engage anoperating rod 11, which is pivotally connected to the levers 8. When rod9 is lifted, fingers I0 engage the underside of rod ll and raise it,thereby lifting levers 8 and tilting brackets 7 outwardly from beneaththe lowermost package 6. This allows the package to drop from themachine.

The above is all of the structure of the vending machine which isnecessary to an understanding of the present improvement. For otherdetails of the machine, U.S. Pat. No. 2,794,384 may be referred to.

The special package which is used with the machine includes a carton 12having spaced end walls 13 and 14 at each end. The end walls 13 are theends of a rectangular enclosing carton for the frankfurter sandwich. Theend walls 14 are parallel to, and spaced a short distance from, the endwalls 13. A frankfurter 15 is placed within a split bun in the carton12- with its ends projecting through openings in the end walls 13 and14. The area between the walls 13 and I4 is open at the sides, andknives can swing inwardly through this space to sever the ends of thefrankfurter after cooking has been done. This will remove the discoloredend sections and leave the frankfurter of such length that its ends willnot project beyond the outer walls 14 when the package is dispensed. Allof this arrangement is fully described in prior U.S. Pat. No. 2,959,339.

The length of the frankfurters used relative to the overall length ofthe carton 12 is such that substantial lengths of the frankfurter extendbeyond the outer walls 1 8. It is these projecting portions that areused for making electrical contact with the frankfurter for cooking themeat. The present invention provides that disposable bands 16 be placedon the projecting ends prior to stacking the packages in the magazine,so as to form metal contacts on'the frankfurter to coact with movablecontact arms 17 to complete a circuit through the frankfurter forresistance cooking.

Bands 16 will be made of a semiductile metal having good electricalconductance. Although the bands may be made by molding or by anextrusion process, they are shown as being formed from a single lengthof material bent to provide spread wings 18 and 19 on either side of acentral prong 20.

When the band is formed from a single length of material, it is bentupon itself along a midfold line to which forms the point 21 of prong20. Two elongated sections 21 and 23 of the material extend in adjacencyfrom the point to form the prong proper. At the top of the prong, thematerial is bent in opposite directions into generally convexly bentmembers forming the wings 18 and 19. The curvature and spread of thewings is greater than the circumference and diameter of the frankfurter,so that the prong can be pressed into the meat and seated withoutinterference from the wings. When the prong has been pressed fully intothe meat, the wings are bent manually, or mechanically, into conformitywith the frank furter and into firm contact with the frankfurtersurface. When so bent, the wings are sufficiently long to embrace morethan half of the franlrfurter circumference, so that the band is lockedfirmly onto the frankfurter.

When the band is being bent to its original shape, more material isallowed for one of the wings, the wing 18, as shown, than for the other.The excess length of material is used to form an offset contact pad 24which will be spaced from the frankfurter surface when the band is inplace. The pad is formed by providing outwardly projecting legs 29joined by a bridge 26. The bridge actually forms the contact pad proper,as this is the surface which will be used as a contact.

The contact arms 17 are shown as mounted upon an operating shaft 27. Theshaft can be rocked by any convenient means, which may be similar tothat used in the prior patent to rock the contact arm. Each contact armconsists of a mounting member 28, a split-arm holder 29, and a resilientcontact arm 30. I

Mounting member 28 may be formed of a block having a central opening toreceive the shaft 27. A set screw 31 can be used to fix the mountingmember to the shaft so that it will rotate with the shaft. it is notnecessary that the mounting means be an electrical conductor, and it canbe made of a nonconducting material so as to insulate the contact armsfrom the mounting shaft.

Arm-holder 29 is shown as comprising two mating sections 32 and 33,secured to the mounting member 28 by means of bolts 34, one of which mayserve as a mounting post for an electrical conductor 35. One of theholder sections, the section 33 as shown, is provided with a groove 36in its inner face to receive the contact arm 30 and secure it to theassembly. The groove is approximately the width and depth of the contactarm so that the arm will be held securely in position.

Contact arm 30 is formed of a strip of thin spring metal having goodelectrical conducting properties. The ends 37 of the contact arm 30 arecurved to insure firm engagement with the contact pad 24 of the band andto provide a means for frictionally retaining the contact arm within thegroove 36 of the section 33of the arm-holder Both ends of the arm areidentical so that the armis fully reversible. ln mounting the arm in theholder, one end is slipped in the groove 36 and the arm pushed into thegroove until the end reaches the bottom of the groove. As the groovedepth is substantially the same as the thickness of the arm, the curvedend 13 will be flattened as the arm is inserted in the groove. This willprovide firm frictional hold against the bottom surface of the grooveand against the confronting face of the upper member 32 of thearm-holder. Arm 30 is shown as having an opening 38 intermediate itsends. The only purpose of this opening is to provide means forsuspending the arm in the event it is.to be plated prior to mounting.

it is preferable that the contact arm assembly have sufficient arc ofrocking movement to carry the end of the contact arm 30 beyond thenormal position of contact with the contact pad 24 of the band. Thiswill serve several purposes. it will assure firm contact between the armand the pad, it will assure contact even though subsequent packages maynot have identical positions, and the over-travel of the assembly willcause a sliding movement between the contact arm end and the contact padwhich will clean the engaging surfaces of any foreign matter that mightbe present.

in using the present invention, each package will have bands 16 engagedwith the ends of the frankfurter which protrude beyond the ends of thecarton. The bands will he applied by pressing the prongs 20 firmly intothe meat until the wings 18 and 19 contact the surface, whereupon thewings will be bent to position them in surrounding relation to thefrankfurter ends and in tight contact with those ends. The placement ofthe bands on the frankfurter ends can be done manually, or by somemechanical means. The packages, with the bands in place on thefrankfurter ends, are then stacked in the machine magazine 4, with thebottom package resting upon the brackets-7. When a package is to bedispensed, the machine is set into operation (as fully described in theprior patent) and the contact arm assemblies 17 will be caused to rockto bring the arms 30 into contact with the contact pads 24 on thelowermost package. The previously-mentioned over-travel of the arms willassure firm contact with the bands at both ends, irrespective of precisealignment of the package. When contact is made, current will flowthrough the arms to the bands and through the franltfurter to complete acircuit to resistance cook the frankfurter.

As the franlcfurter cooks, it tends to increase in diameter and inlength. The width ofthe bands 16 is somewhat greater than the width ofthe contact arms 30 so that some sliding of the bands relative to thearms can take place as the frankfurter elongates without losing contact.increase in the frankfurter diameter will cause the encircling wings ofthe bands to tightly compress the meat of the frankfurter into contactwith the prongs so that no open spaces will be formed and no arcing cantake place.

Throughout the cooking process, the contact pad 24 will be well out ofcontact with the surface of the frankfurter. Thus, juices which mightescape from the interior will run off the frankfurter surface withoutcoming into contact with the pad 24. This will maintain clean, drycontact between the pad and the arm 30 with the result that there willbe no flash flaming or smoking to discolor the frankfurter beyond thehand area and a much safer operation is assured. The raised contact padsalso serve as initial positioning means for the frankfurter, as theyform stops against the carton ends to prevent longitudinal movement.This also acts as a means insuring proper alignment of the pads with thecontact arms for perfect engagement.

FIG. 6 of the drawing shows a slightly modified form of band. Here, theband 39 has the same elements and substantially the same shape as theold. The band is composed of a centrai prong 40, and the oppositelyprojecting wings 41 and 42. In this form of the invention, however, eachwing is provided with a contact pad. Thus, wing 41 has a contact pad 43and wing 42 has a contact pad 44. The contact pads are constructedidentically with the one described in the previous form of theinvention.

By having contact pads on both wings, the operation of applying thebands to the frankfurters and the insertion of the packages in themachine. magazineis considerably simplified.

With the modified band, it makes no difference how the band is orientedfor application to the frankfurter as a contact pad will be positionedon either side when the band is in place. The same advantage is gainedwhen the packages are placed in the magazine, for no matter which sideof the package happens to face the contact arm side of the machine,contact pads will be properly positioned for engagement by the arms. Inall other respects, the modified band is used, and operates, in exactlythe same manner as the first-described form.

While in the above practical forms of the invention have been disclosed,it will be understood that the specific details of construction shownand described are merely by way of illustration, and the invention maytake other forms within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a device for resistance cooking of frankfurters in specialsandwich packages wherein the frankfurter extends beyond the packageends, improved electrical contact elements comprising, bands to embracethe projecting ends of the frankfurter, each band being of bendableelectrical conducting material and having a prong to penetrate into thefrankfurter, and spaced electrical conducting. contact arms mounted forsirnulataneous movement to and from engagement with the bands.

2. In a device for resistance cooking of frankfurters as claimed inclaim 1 wherein, each band has wings on each side of the prong to lieagainst the frankfurter surface in embracing relation, and each wing hasa contact pad offset outwardly from the remainder of the wing to be freefrom contact with the frankfurter surface when the band is in positionon a frankfurter and for engagement with the contact arms.

3. In a device for resistance cooking of frankfurters as claimed inclaim 1 wherein, each band has wings on each side of the prong to lieagainst the frankfnrter surface in embracing relation, and at least oneof the wings has a contact pad offset outwardly from the remainder ofthe wing to be free from contact with the frankfurter surface when theband is in position on a frankfurter and for engagement with the contactarms.

4. In a device for resistance cooking of frankfurters as claimed inclaim 3 wherein, each band is wider than the contact am it engages topermit movement of the bands in a direction longitudinally of thefrankfurter while maintaining engagement with the contact arms.

5. in a device for resistance cooking of frankfurters as claimed inclaim 3 wherein, each contact arm includes a holder and a contactelement, the contact element being of resilient electrically conductingmaterial.

6. in a device for resistance cooking of frankfurters as claimed inclaim 5 wherein, each contact element is straight for the major portionof its length with its end portions both curved in the same direction,and the holder has a straight slot into which one end of the contactelement seats in straightened frictional engagement.

7. A contact element for use in resistance cooking of frankfurters inspecial sandwich packages wherein the frankfurter projects beyond theends of the package comprising, an open band of bendable electricalconducting material to be placed over the projecting end of afrankfurter and bent to clamping relation about the frankfurter end, theband having a prong to penetrate into the frankfurter, the prong beinglocated between the ends of the open band and the band having curvedwings on either side of the prong, and at least one of said wings havingan outwardly offset portion forming a contact pad spaced from thefrankfurter surface when the band is in place.

8. A contact element for use in resistance cooking of frankfurters asclaimed in claim 7 wherein, each wing has an outwardly offset portionforming a contact pad spaced from the frankfurter surface when the bandis in place.

9. A contact element for use in resistance cooking of frankfurters asclaimed in claim 7 wherein, the band is formed from a single strip ofmaterial bent medially upon itself to form the prong.

